Latest CD releases reviewed
JACK DEJOHNETTE/LARRY GOLDINGS/ JOHN SCOFIELD
Saudades ECM
****
In late 2004 at London's Barbican, as Trio Beyond, DeJohnette, Goldings and Scofield revisited the drums-organ-guitar format of the late Tony Williams's Lifetime, a seminal force in the fusion of jazz and rock. On the evidence of this two-CD concert recording, it was a memorable night. Urged on by the remarkable drumming of DeJohnette, Scofield was in transcendental form, with a compelling range of ideas and expressive devices arrestingly deployed, and Goldings played with a liberation he hasn't often revealed before. The repertoire is drawn from Lifetime, from Williams's early career with Miles Davis, and from originals, some jointly conceived by Trio Beyond. In a lengthy concert there are some longueurs, but this is visceral stuff, with the testosterone and imaginative levels high. www.musicconection.org.uk Ray Comiskey
DUKE ELLINGTON
The Cosmic Scene Mosaic
*****
There's an irresistibly buoyant purposefulness to this long unavailable example of mid-'50s small group Ellington that makes it a charmer. Fresh lines on the old changes of the likes of Avalon and Perdido amount to original compositions. They, along with brilliant soloing from Clark Terry (flugelhorn), Paul Gonsalves (tenor) and Jimmy Hamilton (clarinet), give it a decidedly bop flavour. Three trombones (no solos) thicken the ensemble texture, with Duke contributing his mots justes from the piano. Add a great Body and Soul from Gonsalves, with a previously unissued second take almost as good, remarkably remastered sound - it's in stereo for the first time - and you have a little gem that can stand comparison with Ellington's classic small groups of two decades earlier. www.mosaicrecords.com Ray Comiskey
STOCKHOLM JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Sailing Dragon
****
This is the second of the SJO's albums devoted to the arranging and composing of its pianist, Göran Strandberg. The writing is often striking, notably on Strandberg's own Borderline, with its assured counterpoint, the gorgeous voicings on Yesterdays and The Shadow of Your Smile, and his interesting and distinctive Självrisk, with its variety of figures supporting, but never intruding on, the fluent tenor solo. Strandberg has also written fresh, original pieces from existing sources, Softly As (guess) and Verly, a chart clearly inspired by one of Bill Evans's loveliest compositions, Very Early. The band's considerable solo strength includes Karl-Martin Almquist and Robert Nordmark (tenor), Johan Hörlén (alto), Magnus Broo, Fredrik Norén and Peter Asplund (trumpet), Bertil Strandberg (euphonium) and the pianist. Tasty. www.dragonrecords.se Ray Comiskey
